Finch to captain Australia A, Boyce called up

The legspinner Cameron Boyce, the batsman Joe Burns and the fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile are the three uncapped players named in the Australia A squad to take on the England Lions in a one-day series this month. Aaron Finch will captain the side with Tim Paine as his deputy in a group that Australia's selectors have chosen with development for the 2015 World Cup firmly in mind.

Batsmen Shaun Marsh and Adam Voges, who have played Twenty20 cricket for Australia this summer, are in the squad along with the South Australian Callum Ferguson, who last played for his country in April 2011. The attack will include Ben Cutting, John Hastings and Kane Richardson, all of whom have played international cricket this season, along with Josh Hazlewood.

"In selecting this 12 man squad for the five-match series against the England Lions the National Selection Panel had the development of players for the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup very much in mind," John Inverarity, the national selector, said.

"Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Joe Burns, Callum Ferguson and Adam Voges are all talented batsmen. With the Test Squad being in India, these 12 players will have a chance to push for higher honours by doing well against a strong England Lions outfit."

Burns is the only batsman in the group who has not played for Australia but his class has been apparent in his performances for Queensland over the past two years, which led to him being named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year this week.

The presence of his Queensland team-mate Boyce is an indication of how the selectors rate the young legspinner, who has shown plenty of promise in his four seasons of state cricket. Coulter-Nile also has a chance to push for inclusion in Australia's growing list of international fast men.

Australia A will play five one-day games against the England Lions in Hobart and Sydney from February 16 to March 1.

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